Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
GRACE
" I just finished my rounds," I said as I approached Tarax. "Everyone who needed help has gotten it tonight."
He was in the main lobby, refilling the bullets for the blasters and cleaning them out. I loved to watch him work.
He was so studious about it, yet it relaxed me to watch the methodical way his hands moved. I bet he was magical with his hands in other ways. I took a deep breath and tried not to think about it too much.
His smile lit up the room when he saw me walking toward him, which was a nice consolation prize given the shit day I'd had today.
"That's great news," he said. "Good job."
He was still beaming and looking at me as if I were a superstar and not just an ordinary firefighter who happened to be caught in a world of apocalyptic destruction.
I sat down beside him with a long-winded sigh. I was exhausted, but there was still so much to be done. Collapsing on a bed and passing out were no longer an option.
"How are the wounded doing?" Tarax asked, glancing at me as he worked.
I propped my elbows on my knees and leaned forward, taking a few moments just to unwind and watch him.
"Healing as best they can, given our current circumstances," I said. I sat up straight and inhaled a deep breath, glancing up at the lobby ceiling. "They need better, proper medical treatment and care, though that I can't give them."
Tarax gave me an empathetic smile. "You're doing the best you can."
"Yeah well…" I trailed off, feeling suddenly overcome with emotion.
My eyes burned with tears. I paused so that Tarax wouldn't be able to hear the misery in my voice. "Sometimes I feel like my best isn't good enough."
Tarax immediately stopped what he was doing. He set the bullets and the blaster down on the floor beside him. He took one hand and placed it on my thigh. He took his other hand and cradled it with mine, squeezing it endearingly.
He stared deep into my eyes. His teal eyes were etched with affection. He was so handsome. It hurt to look at him because I was so attracted to him — yet — the situation we were in was so dire. It felt like there was no place for romance when there were so many others out there suffering.
"Hey…" he whispered. "Don't cry." I couldn't ignore the compassion in his voice.
"I'm not crying," I lied and sniffled. I wiped a single tear away from my cheek, feeling betrayed by my own emotions.
Tarax softly stroked my thigh, but he was careful. He didn't reach very far up my leg. I couldn't tell if it was because he was afraid to do it or he was trying to respect me.
It was probably more to sooth me than anything else, but it still turned me on a little and made me feel tingly and relaxed all over.
"Everything is going to be okay," Tarax promised. "We're safe in here, and we have the supplies we need to get by for now. We'll keep hanging on in here for as long as we can until a better opportunity presents itself." There was so much assertion in his voice and confidence in his face that I believed him.
I took a deep breath and snapped myself out of it. "Thank you." I managed to offer him a smile. "It means a lot when you try to comfort me."
" Are you feeling comforted now?" Tarax asked, arching a doubtful eyebrow.
I sat up straight and debated that. "For now, yes."
He patted my knee softly. His smile broke my heart and put it back together all at once. "Good."
I glanced over my shoulder. I didn't know why I did it, but I just felt that weird feeling like someone was watching us and listening in our private conversation.
Sure enough, my instincts proved right. I saw David in the shadows, tucked behind a corner. He was glowering at us.
I could tell just by the scowl on his face that he was seething. I was in no mood to go at it with David right now, so I stood up and made the executive decision for myself to walk away from the situation before it escalated into something worse.
"Where are you going?" Tarax asked.
He was still sitting on the ground. He glanced up at me with a disappointed frown as if he wanted to keep enjoying my company.
As much as that boosted my ego, I knew that if I stayed out here, David would inevitably bait me into an argument that I didn't want to have in front of Tarax.
"I'm going up to the roof." I pointed to the ceiling. "Jennifer has been up there a while. I might see if she wants to take a break in her shift."
"You need a break yourself," Tarax said, giving me a concerned glance.
I shrugged. "Fresh air will do me some good right now." I smiled. "Although I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing."
Tarax nodded, seemingly accepting my answer. "Alright. Well let me know if you need anything. You know where to find me."
He reached up for my hand and took it, giving it a tender squeeze. I felt David's gaze burning on my back and it was making me rigid and uncomfortable. "Thanks, I really appreciate that."
I started walking away, fully aware of the echo my footsteps made as I walked across the main lobby floor. I made sure to take the front access stairs to the roof. That way, I had less chance of having to encounter a resentful David along the way.
Once I made it upstairs, I pushed the access door open for the roof.
Jennifer was there, sitting in a folding chair we'd brought up here for our shifts at the lookout point. A rifle was sitting beside her, ready to be aimed and fired, just in case.
I approached her and smiled. "Hey."
She turned her head and glanced up at me and straightened her posture, looking surprised to see me.
"Hey, Grace. What are you doing up here? It's not your shift yet." She gazed down at the watch on her wrist.
"I dunno. I just thought you could use some company," I said and sat down on the stone edge of the wall beside her.
"Oh." Jennifer smiled. "Well, that's very nice of you."
"How's it going up here?"
Jennifer shrugged. "Nothing exciting to report."
"I suppose that's good news," I said with a chuckle.
Jennifer laughed too. "Yeah. You're telling me. I'd rather be bored up here with no action rather than having to fight off those weird alien fuckers. Although, as scared as I am of them… I'm also kinda fascinated by some of them."
"Yeah… I get what you're saying." I gave her a warm smile.
Jennifer was one of the survivors in our group that I'd befriended. She was sweet and had a gentle way about her. She was also smart and was proving herself to be a very a fast learner. She seemed willing — eager even — to help us out in any way we needed her.
Jennifer was three years younger than me, at twenty-three years old. She was petite, but she didn't let that stop her from being feisty and spunky in the heat of the action. She had a saucy attitude and didn't hesitate to use it when it was needed most.
Before the world went to shit, she had been working as a local blogger — attempting to make a name for herself in the world of journalism. She was a jazzy go-getter.
She was the type of person who tried to see the world through rose colored glasses no matter what the circumstances were.
We all needed a little positivity in our lives. I found myself uplifted every time I was around her. She was easy to talk to and get along with. I felt that was probably one of the main reasons why we had become friends so quickly.
Jennifer breathed in deeply and gazed out at the city of Chicago. "It's not the same." Her voice was melancholy.
"I can't look at it," I admitted.
Jennifer gazed at me with wide, gray eyes. "Yeah… I know what you mean. It's a painful sight."
"I want to remember Chicago for what it was before all this happened," I said.
Jennifer smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that."
She was wearing her blonde, curly hair in her usual pigtails. She adjusted her positioning on the folding chair. She had curvy hips, on a short and otherwise petite frame.
"I was just downstairs," I mentioned.
"Doing what?" Jennifer eyed me expectantly and took a sip from her water bottle.
"Talking to Tarax."
"Uh-oh." Jennifer's grin was a mile wide. She playfully swatted at my arm.
I laughed and studied her. "Uh-oh, what?"
"Nothing…" Jennifer trailed off with a naughty smirk. "It's just… I have been noticing some chemistry budding between the two of you."
I arched my eyebrows and matched her grin. "Oh really ?"
"What's so bad about that?" Jennifer gave me a harmless shrug and pretended to be innocent.
I looked away. My cheeks felt hot. "I don't know… I could think of someone else who thinks it's a bad idea."
Jennifer wrinkled her forehead. "Are you talking about David?"
I nodded. "Yup."
Jennifer clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Oh, fuck him."
I laughed. "He is certainly letting his opinions on the subject fly any chance he gets."
"For what it's worth, I think Tarax is very handsome," Jennifer said. She gave me a mischievous wink. "Which means I think you should go for it with him."
"Really?" I gave her an uncertain smile but thinking about a relationship with Tarax sure excited me.
"He's strong, brave, muscular… he's really very kind. He's super nice to you and I think it's because he's really into you. I don't see what the problem is. He's the total package."
"I suppose you're right?—"
"He's a fucking alien freak ."
Jennifer and I both spun around, startled to see David walking up on the roof, approaching us with a heated expression.
"Did you follow me up here?" I asked, feeling appalled.
"You need to stop whatever you're doing with that alien before it's too late," David said, deliberately ignoring my question.
I gave him a sour glare. "It's none of your business."
"Yeah, David," Jennifer said, wasting no time to jump in and defend me. "This doesn't concern you." She looked at him sullenly. "So why don't you just go away and bother someone else?"
David cast her an indifferent glance and focused back to me. "I will treat you better than he ever could."
I scoffed at the audacity of his ironic statement. "You treated me like shit when we were together, David."
David frowned, taking offense. "I could prove you wrong if you would be willing to hear me out and give me another chance."
I set my gaze to the concrete floor. "No thanks. Been there, done that. It didn't work out the way either of us wanted." I lifted my head and stared up at him. "We were both miserable. Why would you even want to go back to that kind of stressful relationship?"
David took a step closer to me. There was a certain flicker of desperation in his eyes that made me feel momentarily sorry for him until I reminded myself that David was a professional manipulator, especially when it came to me.
"Because I believe that we can do it right this time… you know… learn from our mistakes," David explained.
I laughed. "The only mistake I made was not breaking up with you sooner than I did."
David gave me a horrified look as if I'd just cut him through the heart with a knife and then stabbed the wounded area repeatedly.
"You're a bitch."
"Hey!" Jennifer stood up and protectively stepped in front of me.
"Jennifer," I began and stood up, standing beside her. "It's okay. I appreciate what you are doing but I can handle David and his name calling."
Jennifer planted her hands on her hips and gave David a stony expression. "You better watch who you're talking to."
"Or else what ?" David roared with laughter, slapping his knee. He shot Jennifer a berating glance. " You really think you have the power to do anything, midget?"
"I may be short, but I make up for it in other ways," Jennifer said stoically.
David laughed condescendingly. "I bet you do."
"Leave her alone, David," I urged, glaring at him.
"I don't give a shit about her, " David said and edged closer to me, bridging the gap between us, and making me increasingly uncomfortable. "I want you — but you are too hung up on that bastard alien. Maybe I should have my way with you and remind you about what you've been missing this past year."
I took an instinctive step backward, giving David a firm stare down. "Do not do this, David. And you need to keep your voice down."
I paused to gaze out at the open skies. It was dusk. The sky was a mixture of gray and pink. I had an apprehensive feeling. The air felt different. It was ominous, a little eerie. I felt haunted by these android beasts.
David scoffed. "Why?" he shouted on purpose, just to get a rise out of me.
"Because," I hissed sharply through clenched teeth. "These androids respond to noise. I don't know what it is about them, but it like… wakes them up or something. If they hear any noise at all , they are going to pursue it. I feel like if they don't hear us, they can't see us."
Jennifer nodded vigorously. "I agree."
"What a crock of shit ," David said, still raising his voice way too loudly. "Do you two actually believe that?"
"I do," I said, giving him a defiling stare. "Given what we know so far."
"Which is not much," David mocked.
"Me too," Jennifer said. "So why don't you do us all a favor and shut the fuck up before you get us all killed?"
"You think I'm scared of those fucking things?" David exclaimed. He lifted his good arm by his side. "Come at me, then, you fuckers. He began spinning around in a circle as he shouted. The veins in his neck bulged. His eyes shadowed with sinister darkness. He looked deranged. "Bring it, on!"
"David," I hissed, jogging up next to him. "Stop throwing a tantrum just because you aren't getting your way. There are other people you could hurt with the impossible way you are behaving."
"So what?" David continued shouting. "What does that have to do with me?"
I reached my arm up and drew it back, slapping it hard against David's left cheek.
I was even more astonished than he was that I had done that. David slowly reached his hand up to clutch the tender area. I had slapped him so hard across the face that it had left an instantaneous red mark of my fingers on his skin.
"What the hell did you do that for?" David asked, staring at me with enormous, baffled eyes.
My jaw dropped. I was at a loss for words, but thankfully now, David was too. At least he was no longer yelling.
"I didn't want you to draw the attention of those sickening things," I said defensively. "You just wouldn't stop shouting."
David began backing up slowly, walking toward the exit access door. He was still giving me that dumbfounded stare.
"This isn't over," he called out.
I stiffened and swallowed hard. I straightened my shoulders and stared at him defiantly. I would take his warning seriously — but I was relieved that he was going to leave me alone — at least for now.